Mo’ne Davis trying to find some peace amid all the attention

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa – Two boys stood in line to use a Port-A-John when a golf cart puttered past.

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By PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS

capecodtimes.com

By PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS

Posted Aug. 20, 2014 at 7:00 AM
Updated Aug 20, 2014 at 7:14 AM

By PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS

Posted Aug. 20, 2014 at 7:00 AM
Updated Aug 20, 2014 at 7:14 AM

» Social News

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Two boys stood in line to use a Port-A-John when a golf cart puttered past.

One squealed,“There she is!“ His mother said,“Oh, look! It’s Mo’ne! Mo’ne Davis!“ A few yards farther, a father asked, “Mo’ne, can you stop for a pic­ture?“ “No,“ said the driver, before Mo’ne could answer. “We’re late.“ Davis was, in fact, late for the team dinner at a local chicken wing restaurant. Her Taney Dragons Little League team from Philadelphia ate at the same chain during the regional tournament in Bristol, Connecticut, last week, and, well, base­ball teams are superstitious.

No team here at the Little League World Series is quite as famous.

Its walkoff win over Texas on Sunday night, combined with Mo’ne’s shutout of Ten­nessee on Friday, has put Taney in a U.S. semi­ final tonight against Las Vegas – on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. – and it has made the Dragons the abso­lute darlings of the tournament.

Before practice Monday afternoon, several Philadelphia players spent 30 minutes posing for pictures and sign­ing autographs between the two stadiums. The boys are charismatic and cute, but none is more darling than Mo’ne, tonight’s starting pitcher. The adoration for her has reached a fever pitch.

“It is kind of creepy,“ Davis said during a rare quiet moment.

It is surreal.

She is 13 and, a week ago, was relatively anonymous. Then, she threw a second straight shutout (she also dominated the regional final), waist-long braids flying and gray eyes flashing as her perfect mechanics dealt 70 mph fastballs. She is the first girl to win a game at the LLWS.

Now, three days later, she has to be shuttled around the grounds in her own golf cart.

She has her own press liaison.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett came to watch her pitch last Friday, but she was, by far, more popular. No one asked for his autograph.

Sounds great, right? Well, fame has its price, even when you’re 13.

“I can’t go anywhere without people bothering me,“ Davis said.“I can’t go watch the other games anymore.“ She tried sneaking into the stadium to watch a game while wearing a hooded sweatshirt, but her look is iconic, so that ploy failed.

There is an upside, of course. Connecticut women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma, a Norristown (Pa.) native, called her Monday. Davis is a superior basketball player and someday hopes to play for UConn, and, usually, she is an incessant yapper.

She was rendered nearly speechless during the call, said one observer.

With a win tonight, the spotlight will only intensify.

Representatives from Ellen DeGeneres’ and Queen Latifah’s shows have called hoping for first dibs at the Philadelphia team, or Mo’ne, if they win it all Sunday.

Or, maybe even if they don’t.

The story is pretty compelling, even if they don’t win the title: a dozen Philly city kids of multiple races making noise at what traditionally is a showcase for the suburban elite.

Led here by a clever girl.

Her fame mattered not one bit during practice earlier this week.

She had to don catcher’s gear in 80-degree weather and squat for about 30 minutes to catch two of her teammates’ bullpen sessions. She had bucket duty for the end of batting practice she stood near second base and caught the batted balls being thrown back in from the outfield and put them in a bucket and she was scolded by a coach when she sat down on the job.

Between the lines, she is just one of the boys.

During her turn at the plate, she managed to poke one over the practice-field fence, which elicited a wry, “Finally!“ from shortstop Jack Rice.

She shares her teammates’ homesickness. They have been on the road for weeks to get here. She misses her bed, and home cooking, and her favorite basketball shoes.

She said she wasn't tired, then acknowledged she appreciated the two off days:“It’s important to me. I’ve got to sleep.“ She needs to be rested for Las Vegas, a team full of mashers that is unbeaten in eight LLWS games en route to the U.S. semifinals.

She can’t wait.

“Actually, I am totally looking forward to it. It’ll make me better,“ she said.“It will make me hit my spots.“ If she hits her spots, and if she wins again, it might take more than a golf cart to buffer her from her fame.